Sam Allardyce seems finally to have struck on and stuck to a formation that brings the best - if it can be called that - out of the players at his disposal.

It is 4-1-4-1, with occasional blurring towards 4-3-3.

Assume he retains faith in this system, and in the key personnel so far performing a manful job in its key positions: Jan Kirchhoff screening the back four; Jermain Defoe the focal point of attack...

And £9 million January signing Wahbi Khazri finally imposing some creative nous, not least from previously undercooked set-plays.

With Jack Rodwell likely to continue alongside Yann M’Vila in the concussed absence of Lee Cattermole come Saturday, that leaves one place up for grabs: right midfield/attack.

And it looks a straight shoot-out between Tuesday’s goalscorers: N’Doye and Borini.

Though N’Doye started his Black Cats career up front, thrown on as a late substitute in the 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City as his side desperately tried to make good on their domination of the title chasers, he has since found himself deployed on the right.

An out-and-out forward - seemingly - with a healthy career goals-per-game average of 0.38, that means he scores one in three (in fact it’s closer to one in every two-and-a-half games).

You can see why Sam wants him, like his prize goal-getter Jermain Defoe, on the pitch. If chances come, the stats show you want them falling to Defoe or N’Doye.

By contrast, Borini scores around a goal every four-and-a-half games.

Neither wonder he has struggled to persuade a succession of managers - at Sunderland and elsewhere - he can make a convincing, consistent out-and-out striker.

Instead, it is his industry and workrate that fall in the Italian’s favour.

But while Squawka suggest both pull off two ‘defensive actions’ per game, you only have to watch Borini - and to have watched N’Doye these past four games - to see which is better suited to Allardyce’s demand for contributions to both attack and defence.

N’Doye will score more goals, so long as he finds himself in the requisite situations: in and around the box.

Borini will help out more in defence, but score fewer.

For now, after Tuesday, I’d plump for the Italian at Southampton, though fear the curse of his inconsistency. Then you can bring on N’Doye.